As a fitting wind-up of the year and as showing what the German promise to protect liners amounted to - the British passenger steamer Persia was sunk in the Mediterranean by a submarine December 30 1915 Dec. 30. British passenger steamer Persia sunk without warning in the Mediterranean - American consul R. M. McNeely being drowned - with more than two hundred others. January 2, 1916, Sunday Page 1 LONDON, Jan. 1 The British passenger steamer Persia, bound from London for Bombay, was torpedoed and sunk off the Island of Crete in the Mediterranean, on Thursday, and it is believed that several hundred persons, some of whom were Americans, perished. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9805E2D71739E233A25751C0A9679C946796D6CF
The sinking of SS Persia proved to be very controversial and because of this occupied headline space in all British and american newspapers. The controversy was caused because the sinking broke international naval rules that stated merchant shipping carrying passengers should be given opportunity for the passengers to disembark before combat could commence. This was not done by the commander of U-38 Max Valentiner. He should instead have first fired a warning shot across her bows. This was not done and no warning was given before firing the torpedo. As there were notable American citizens as well as British amongst the casualties this further exacerbated US relations with Germany which two years later and after other similar outrages led to the United states joining the war on the side of Britain. A photograph of the doomed Liner SS Persia...
Thanks Cally - great picture ( as always !! ) !! ! Oh look ! I found this too ..... The Persia was sunk off Crete, while the passengers were having lunch, on December 30, 1915, by German World War I U-Boat ace Max Valentiner (commanding U-38). The Persia sank in five to ten minutes, killing 343 of the 519 aboard. The sinking was highly controversial, since it broke naval international law, or the "Cruiser Rules", that stated merchant shipping carrying passengers should be given opportunity for the passengers to disembark before combat could commence. At the time of sinking, Persia was carrying a large quantity of gold and jewels belonging to the Maharaja Jagatjit Singh. Among the passengers to survive were John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu. His secretary (and mistress) Eleanor Thornton, who was the model for the Rolls-Royce "Spirit of Ecstasy" mascot by Charles Robinson Sykes, died. The story was front page news on many British newspapers, including the Daily Mirror and the Daily Sketch. The wreck of the Persia was located off Crete in 2003 at a depth of 10,000 feet (3,000 m), and an attempt made to salvage the treasure located in the bullion room. The salvage attempt met with limited success, retrieving artifacts and portions of the ship, and some jewels from the bullion room. http://edwardianpromenade.com/?p=66
